Jacket, video could condemn ex-cop accused in bank robbery

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A robbery suspect takes cash from a teller at a Hialeah bank in February, 2009. Prosecutors say the man is Rolando Bolanos Jr.

Updated at 5:50 PM EDT on Wednesday, Jul 29, 2009

An ex-cop accused of robbing a Hialeah bank in February may have been wearing his guilt on his sleeve.

Police say Rolando Bolanos Jr. used the same jacket to rob the bank as the jacket he's seen receiving on a 2008 home video.

What a Gift

This heart-warming home video could prove to be a bank robber's undoing. (Published Wednesday, July 29, 2009)

In the video, obtained by the Miami Herald, Bonalos is seen opening a package from his wife that contains a distinctive gray jacket with black patches on the sleeves.

"It's very nice," Bolanos says as he takes a look at the jacket.

A video of the bank robbery shows the suspect wearing a gray jacket with black sleeve patches, and prosecutors believe it's Bolanos.

Add to that the fact that the robber and Bolanos share a large more on the backs of their necks, and that a bank employee got the license plate of the robber, which was traced back to Bolanos.

Bolanos resigned from the force in 2004 after it was revealed that he hadn't disclosed that he was arrested before the Hialeah PD hired him. His father, Rolando Bolanos Sr., had been Hialeah's police chief ofr two decades before he retired in 2007.

Bolanos Jr., 36, has been charged with strong-arm robbery in the Feb. 9 heist. According to prosecutors, Bolanos handed a teller a note demanding money, and made off with $2,400. About 20 minutes later, Bolanos deposited $2,200 into a bank account.

Just before the robbery, Bolanos reportedly sent text messages to his family, saying "Tell the kids I love them" and "I'd like to swim in the ocean and see one more sunset."

Bolanos' attorney Sam Rabin says his client maintains his innocence, and that the video proves nothing.

"The most they can say are items that appear in the video are similar in description," Rabin told the Herald. "What weight that adds? Very little."